Happy New Year: 2012 Recap

Happy New Year everyone and happy anniversary to my Husband (and me).  Nothing too big planned for tonight, Hubby and I are going out for an early dinner (hopefully missing the crowds) and then watching the fireworks over the harbor.  It's pretty awesome that we get fireworks for our anniversary and we have a great view from our lanai (so we don't need to go anywhere).  With the year ending I thought it would be nice to do a recap of my blogs.  I chose the 9 with the most views and my personal favorite.

10.  Lets start with my personal favorite Habanero Brownies.  This is my favorite brownie recipe with a couple of habaneros added.  The brownies themselves were great (as expected) and the habaneros added a mild heat, not nearly as hot as I was afraid it might be but very nice.

9.  Penne with Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Choi Sum.  This light dish was just a bunch of things I threw together to recover from Thanksgiving over eating.  It is a very good vegetarian pasta dish.

8.  Sezchuan Eggplant.  This sweet and spicy dish is another vegetarian meal that I have made multiple times with similar great results.

7.  Brats in a Blanket and Papaya Salad.  I loved this meal, it was so much fun to make and delicious to eat.  Brats wrapped with cheese and (optional) sauerkraut in a soft bun dough paired with a refreshing papaya salad.

6.  Pull Apart Pumpkin Bread.  This bread is like a pumpkin flavored cinnamon bun in loaf form.  It was delicious.

5.  Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Enough said.

4.  Coffee Chocolate Bark with Macadamia Nuts.  This is a super simple recipe that makes a great holiday gift.  Chocolate and coffee make a great combo.

3.  Thanksgiving for Two.  This was a 2 part blog all about my Thanksgiving recipes this year.  It consisted of turkey drummettes  in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry relish, sweet potato casserole and green beans.

2.  How to Make Kefir.  This tutorial is about how to make probiotic rich kefir and how simple it is.

1. *drum roll please* Sweedish Meatballs.  This Christmas dinner recipe got the most views, and it even got a few pins on pintrest.  My husband was so proud (since technically this is his recipe).  It is hard to beat tender meatballs in a creamy gravy.

Thank you for following along with me this year and I hope tohave more delicious recipes and tips for you next year.  My resolution is to try to get better lighting on my pictures so hopefully you will see better pictures next year.  Enjoy.

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Potato Garlic Bread (Sour Dough)

A tender and chewy loaf made with leftover mashed potatoes and roasted garlic.

*submitted to YeastSpotting
now on YeastSpotting 

Christmas dinner was great.  We had Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and maple glazed carrots.  While the potatoes were great, they just weren't as good once the meatballs were gone.  So my goal was to use the left over mashed potatoes and that's where this recipe comes in.

The basic recipe comes from Peter Reinhart's:  The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Rosemary Potato Bread.  I have made it a few times and it's delicious so I was excited to try it again with my own twist.  This time I added a bunch of roasted garlic and used sourdough instead of commercial yeast.  I think it turned out fabulous.  The bread is tender with a chewiness that I love and a wonderful garlic flavor that is, surprisingly, mild.  This bread is great on its own, spread with butter or cheese, and makes great sandwiches.  Here is my recipe.

Ingredients:
* as with most of my breads I use weight measurements for most of my ingredients

14 oz barm (50%flour 50%water)
14 oz bread flour
.38 oz (1.5 tsp) salt
1/4 tsp coarse cracked black pepper
6 oz (1 cup) left over mashed potatoes
.5 oz (1 Tbsp) olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1 oz water
20-30 cloves roasted garlic (about 2 bulbs)

*if you do not want to spend the time on sourdough, omit the barm but add an extra 7 oz flour and 7 oz water as well as about 1-2 tsp instant yeast.  Then the first rise will only be 2 hours and the final only 90 minutes..

The night before feed the sourdough starter (that is kept in the refrigerator).  Take out 4 oz and add 5 oz water and 5 oz flour to make 14 oz barm.  Stir these together until all of the flour is hydrated and then cover and let sit overnight (about 10 hrs).  It should be very bubbly.

In the morning  mix the barm with the flour, salt, pepper, mashed potatoes, oil, rosemary, and water.  Stir (in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients come together in a ball (about 1 minute).  Then knead the dough for about 6 minutes (10 if by hand) until it is smooth, elastic, and tacky but not sticky.  Add the garlic during the final 2 minutes of kneading.  Finally, place the dough into an oiled bowl, roll to coat it with oil and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the dough sit at room temperature for 4 hours (while I went to the gym and had lunch).

After 4 hours the dough should be doubled in size, cresting above the bowl (if not, your room maybe too cool so let it sit longer or put it in a warmer place).

Separate the dough in half and shape each half into rounds.  Let these sit on parchment paper covered with plastic wrap for about 2 hours until the are almost doubled in size.  Then gently slide the dough (parchment and all) onto a baking sheet (score if you want to but it is optional) and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer until browned all over.  I baked my loaves separately because I didn't have enough room to put both on my baking sheet, if your pan is bigger you can bake them together.  I also had to cover the dough with aluminum foil after the first 20 minutes to keep the top from getting too dark (this depends on each individual oven).

Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.  This bread will make your whole house smell so good (like fresh bread and roasted garlic).  Enjoy.

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Swedish Meatballs

Tender and delicious meatballs in a creamy gravy.  I literally licked my plate clean.

*updated post 12/21/15 pinnable images, new pics, tweetables, minor editing, etc.

Swedish Meatballs are the Christmas dinner tradition for my husband's family.  I had never had them until I met him (my family usually had ham or turkey for our Christmas dinners) and I did not know what I was missing.  Now it doesn't seem like Christmas without them.

It's not the #holidays w/o #SwedishMeatballs [Tweet this]

These bite-sized meatballs are made primarily with beef and pork, but sometimes also lamb and veal.  The lamb and veal add their own distinct properties to the meatballs, but they can be more difficult to obtain and can be left out.  The meatballs rest in a cream based, beefy, and gently spiced gravy that is indescribably delicious.  They are messy to make but well worth the meat covered hands.  Best of all my husband is in charge of making them, so no work for me. This is a very rich (in flavor) and delicious dish to have on special occasions. (I always get a small plate of a few meatballs to sample before everything is done.  That is the plate I lick clean...not at the dinner table. I do have some table manners.)

You'll want to #licktheplateclean with these #SweedishMeatballs  [Tweet this]

Sweedish Meatballs

Servings:  6-8

Ingredients:

1 cup minced onion
2 1/2 lbs meat mixture
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups half/half
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
3 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
2-10 1/2 oz cans beef broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp dried dill

Cook onion in 1 Tbsp butter and allow to cool.

Combine meat, bread crumbs, eggs, half/half, spices, and onions.  Roll into bite-sized balls (you can also use a small icecream scoop...just scoop and drop) and heat in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes.

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a large skillet, stir in flour.  gradually whisk in broth.  Cook at medium, stirring constantly until thickened.  stir in whipping cream and 1/2 tsp dill.  Simmer.

When meatballs are heated combine them, and pan drippings with the gravy. Allow the meatballs to simmer in the gravy for about 15 more minutes.

The meatballs are ready to eat immediately but tastes best if you let them set in the gravy overnight.

Makes 6-8 servings.

What to serve with Swedish Meatballs?  Mashed potatoes of course but check out these other ideas:

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Easy Crescent Rolls    -

Sauteed Kale        -

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Cravings

I'm not proud but I'm satisfied.

 

Even for those of us who love to eat and make good food, we still have cravings.  Enter the McRib. I love you McRib, even if you do not return my feelings.  I will occasionally enjoy your company for a few short minutes of pure indulgence.  

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Holiday Gift Idea: Pickled Peppers

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?  I don't know, but I do know that this is a tasty and festive looking gift for any pepper lover.

The smell of white vinegar reminds me of Easter.  I know this sounds strange, but it does.  While I was growing up, my sisters and I dyed eggs almost every Easter.  The kits my parents bought for this usually had these colored tablets that you had to dissolve in white vinegar and then you would dip the eggs in. We would sit around the kitchen table and and spend hours dying our Easter eggs,  being silly, talking, and laughing. We did this for as long as I can remember until we grew up and moved away.  So that's the connection.  Sometimes it is funny what you will be reminded of by a smell.

Anyway, white vinegar is  used in this recipe, I'm not just reminiscing for no reason.   White vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and some spices are boiled and then in go the pepper slices.  I used red and green jalapenos to give it more of a Holiday feel, but you could use any you like.  I'm sure not many people think of pickled peppers as Christmas gifts, but my husband loves all things spicy and goes  through pickled jalapenos like crazy.  So I thought I would try this recipe, after all, we have a many football (bowl) games left and they will be great on nachos.

Ingredients:

I got this idea and recipe from the Food Wishes blog.

10 jalapenos (4 red, 6 green), sliced
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar (add more if you like them sweeter)
1 Tbsp sea  salt (coarse salt)
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled

Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and oregano to a boil then add the pepper rings and garlic.  Turn off the heat and let sit, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Then pick out the peppers and place them in a jar (I reused an old store bought pickled jalapeno jar, I think it was about 10 or 12 oz, they all fit).  Cover with the brine and refrigerate. This is a quick pickle, and it isn't the type of canning process that will store for ever, but it should last for a few months in the refrigerator (although it won't get the chance in my house).

If there is someone you know who loves peppers, of if you want to bring something different to a holiday party, keep this idea in mind.  It is also a great gift/recipe to make anytime. 

Enjoy.



Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies studded with semisweet chocolate chips

Nothing is better than fresh baked cookies. I love to bake cookies, not only because I love eating them but because everyone loves homemade cookie. I believe it is a great way to say "I love you" to your friends and family and everyone seems to really appreciate it.

When my husband has a rough day or when he comes home after a long trip away I like to make him a special treat (I gotta give him some incentive to come home ;) ). His favorite cookies are chocolate chip, nothing fancy, just basic chocolate chip cookies. So that is what I make.

Here are some things I have learned about making great, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies.
I must mention that I did not think up all of these tricks on my own. I saw them on an episode of 'Good Eats'--on food network (love that show).

• First melt the butter
• Second use all brown sugar
• Third use bread flour
• Lastly, only bake one sheet of cookies at a time (I figured this out on my own). 
• Oh and do not over bake the cookies. 

This last tip is a little more difficult it depends on your individual oven, and how big or small you make your cookies. I like to make my cookies small. I use a teaspoon to size them (now I have a cookie scoop it is 1 tablespoon and is the exact size I like it makes dropping cookies so much quicker I highly recommend one), and they end up about 2 inches in diameter when baked. With this size, it usually takes exactly 8 minutes to bake them perfectly (I also use good air-bake cookie sheets).

Another trick I have learned is to let the cookies cool at least 8 minutes on the pan before trying to remove them. For this, it helps to have more than one pan. I have 3.  While one is in the oven baking, I am putting more cookies on another, and while the new pan of cookies is baking, the pan just pulled from the oven is cooling. It makes the process faster and easier. Trust me, I hate to have broken cookies (my husband loves it because I have a rule that he has to eat any broken cookies right away b/c it makes me mad to have a broken cookie). Making them smaller and letting them cool help prevents breakage (and my husband still gets to eat plenty of unbroken cookies).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I make chocolate chip cookies so often I hardly need to look at a recipe any more.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cup flour
at least 2 cups chocolate chips (I like semi-sweet and sometimes dark, use whatever you like)
 

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix all ingredients together  Drop by rounded teaspoon fulls on pan, bake for 8 minutes at 375 F.

No matter what Homemade cookies are always a hit.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Random Recipe Roundup, Much Ado About Monday, Two Cup Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Brag About It, Whimsy Wednesday, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Saturday Night Fever


Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

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Quiche

A filling breakfast pie made with eggs, bacon, and cheese.  This delicious, typically, breakfast or brunch item also makes a fine dinner.

I am so tired of seeing commercials that trash quiche.  It's always a 'manly' commercial that makes it seem like quiche is not filling and not fit for the consumption of 'real men'.  This makes me so mad.  Quiche typically contains eggs, cheese, and bacon (or some other meat).  What is so 'unmanly' about that? They are all protein.  Yes, you can make quiche without meat, but you can do that with lots of other dishes (like pizza) and they don't get the same kind of bad press as quiche.  I make quiche pretty often, usually it contains 1/2 to 1 pound of bacon, at least 1 cup of cheese (usually 2 or more) and about 5 eggs.  I will also put some kind of vegetable in it, usually spinach, but it gets pretty well hidden by all of the other goodies and there is nothing wrong with being a little health conscious.  I like quiche, it is a great way to clean out the refrigerator and you can use it to use up many leftovers.  My husband also enjoys quiche, and he is a man.  So what is the problem?  Maybe the people who these commercials are geared towards have not actually had or made quiche.  I'm not even going to get started on the sexism of 'manliness'.

Anyway, with my rant over I will give you my simple recipe for quiche.  With just the basic recipe you can add any cheese, meat and vegetable of your liking.

Ingredients:

1 recipe pie crust (I use an easy pie crust recipe)*
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cheese (I usually prefer more cheese, but this was all I had)
1/2 pound bacon, chopped and cooked
1-2 cups frozen spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp habanero flakes
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 cup chopped green onions

*Easy Pie Crust

1 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
(I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup flax seed meal, 1/2 Tbsp baking powder with 1 stick of butter--melted, and the 1/4 cup water)
To make self-rising flour:  4 cups flour + 2 tsp salt + 2 Tbsp baking powder.


First make the pie crust.  Bring the water and oil (or butter) to a boil in a small saucepan.  Once boiling take off the heat and add the flour (or flour mixture).  Stir until all of the flour is hydrated and it forms a ball.  Dump this into your pie pan, or I use an 8 inch cast iron skillet. When dough has cooled enough to touch press out into a pie crust shape, filling the pan.  Then line the crust with a double thickness of foil and bake at 450 for 8 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 3-5 minutes more or until the crust is dried out.  Lower oven temperature to 325.

Mix up the eggs with the milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and habanero flakes or hot sauce (if using).  Then add the frozen spinach, bacon, cheese, and onions.  Stir until thoroughly mixed and pour into pie crust.   Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until set and browned on top.  Serves 6 depending on how you slice it.


Quiche is an easy and tasty meal and there are many variations you can make of it. This is just 1 recipe.  Be creative and use up any leftovers you might have.

Some quiche variation ideas:

Cheese Steak Quiche--use sliced steak, peppers and onions, and provolone cheese
Taco Quiche--use leftover taco meat or ground beef, salsa, and colby jack cheese
Sausage and Pepper Quiche--use Italian sausage, bell peppers, and mozzarella cheese

The variations are endless.  Make it as 'manly' or 'unmanly' as you like.  What are your favorite quiche recipes?

Enjoy.

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Blogger's Day of Silence

I saw this on another blog and thought it was a good idea.  I may not be a parent, but I am an Aunt and I have friends and family who are teachers.  It's a good way to remember those who lost their lives and be thankful of those we have.  This says it much better than I can.

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Greek Pizza

Well, my version of a Greek pizza which is leftover pita topped with tomatoes, red bell peppers, eggplant, and feta.  A delicious meal.

I had some pitas and some feta left over from when I made Tabouli and Greek Salad.  Whenever I have leftover cheese I always think pizza.  I love pizza, usually I make my own pizza dough, but since I had pitas too, I decided to make pita pizzas with a Greek flare.  The eggplant, peppers and tomatoes were easy and inexpensive to obtain.  I was not happy with using plain fresh vegetables, which would have been fine, I wanted to bring out more flavor by roasting them.  I dried the tomatoes in the oven at a low temperature for many hours until they became dehydrated (I did this a few days before I made the pizzas).  I will eventually post exactly how I did this, but store bought sun-dried tomatoes would work just fine.  I also roasted the red bell peppers, again details for another post.  You can also buy roasted red peppers at the store, I just find it cheaper to do myself.  Lastly I roasted the sliced eggplant, seasoned with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, under the broiler for a few minutes until soft and browned.

Here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

4 Pitas
1/4 cup Feta
1/4-1/3 cup Mozzarella
2 roasted red bell peppers
1 small eggplant, sliced and roasted
12 cherry tomatoes, halved and dried
1 head of roasted garlic mashed with 1 tsp olive oil



First I brushed the pitas with roasted garlic/olive oil mixture.  Then I layered about 5 pieces of tomato, 3 strips of pepper and 2-3 slices of eggplant.  Lastly I topped each pizza with a little mozzarella and feta.  The pizzas were then baked in a 475 degree oven for about 5-8 minutes until the cheese was melted and browned.  Made 4 small pizzas, enough for 2 people.

These pizzas were absolutely delicious. The flavors all complemented each other nicely, and they were incredibly filling.  One thing I might add would be an olive tapenade instead of the roasted garlic for the pizza sauce.  It was great the way it was, but if I had a tapenade around I bet it would be even better.  If anyone tries this let me know how it turns out.  Enjoy.

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Twice Baked Potato

A great side to any meal or even a meal all its own, my twice baked potatoes are everything I love about a loaded baked potato and more.

Not too long ago my husband purchased a 20 pound bag of potatoes at Costco.  It's only the two of us so we have potatoes taking over our kitchen.  I have been gradually using them and trying to think of new and exciting ways to eat them.  Here is my latest potato creation.

Twice baked potatoes are a simple recipe, just start with a baked potato, scoop out the insides, mix the insides with your favorite potato toppings, put it back together and bake it a second time.

Ingredients:

1 very large potato (our potatoes are ridiculously big, us can use 2 normal potatoes)
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Bake the potato, and let it cool enough to handle.  Then cut it in half (if using smaller potatoes only cut off the top) and scoop out the insides.

Mix the potato insides with the rest of the ingredients, adding salt and pepper if you want.  I don't think it needs any salt with the cheese and dressing, but this is a personal preference.  When the ingredients are mixed well stuff the mixture back into the potato shells.

Bake the stuffed potato halves at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until cheese is melting and the tops are browned.  This recipe serves 2.

Twice baked potatoes are a fun and different way to enjoy the usual baked potato.  You can always us your own favorite ingredients to make the potato your own.  I served this with a grilled cheese sandwich and some broccoli to round out the meal.  Enjoy

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Tutorial: How to Make Kefir

A fermented milk product that has great probiotic properties.  Kefir is easy to make and has many uses, all you need to get started are the grains.

I have mentioned and used kefir a few times in recipes on this blog such as in Pull Apart Pumpkin Bread or Brats in a Blanket.  I like to use kefir instead of buttermilk in any recipe, and it is also great as a beverage on it's own or in a smoothie. 

Kefir is said to contain more probiotics than yogurt and the fermenting process makes it more easily digestible for some people with lactose sensitivity.  Kefir can be made using any type of milk (goats, sheeps, cows, even coconut).  I use regular store bought skim milk and my kefir grains are alive and well.  So here is what you do.


First you need to obtain kefir grains.  I bought mine online and they were shipped to me, but if you know of anyone who makes kefir they can give you some (as kefir grains readily grow and multiply with each feeding).  Place the kefir grains into a clean glass jar and cover with milk. 







Then cover the jar with a towel or piece of cloth (to keep bugs away) and let sit at room temperature for 12-48 hours.  I let my kefir sit out over night and my room temperature is about 70-80 degrees, sometimes a little higher.  But if your temperature drops in the wintertime, that is okay.  You just may need to let the kefir sit longer or if it is warmer it might not need to sit as long.







When the kefir is ready, this is up to you experiment with different times to see what you prefer, the grains need to be separated from the kefir.  This is easily done using a strainer.  I strain my kefir into a clean plastic bowl with a pour spout so I can then transfer the kefir to a 2 liter jug that I keep in my refrigerator.



The strained kefir grains are ready to be reused, rinse out the glass jar and drop the grains back inside and cover with milk.  The process is ready to start again.  If you do not want to bother with your kefir grains for a while you can put them in the refrigerator.  As long as the grains are covered with milk I have kept them unused for up to 1 week, then I pull them out, strain them and pour in some fresh milk.

The kefir grains will grow and multiply as they are regularly fed.  I keep my kefir grains to about the size of a tablespoon.  As they grow you can give some to a friend or add some into a smoothie, or even eat some of the grains.  They are very nutritious and it is sad to just throw them away.


The strained kefir has many uses.  I try to make a fruit smoothie daily where I just blend kefir and frozen fruit together, I prefer it better than yogurt, and it is better for you than regular milk.  I also use kefir in any recipe that uses butter milk, and the kefir can even be used to make sour cream and cheeses, it is not exactly the same but it works. 

If you are interested in making kefir there are many sources online to learn more about the process.  One of my favorites is Dom's Kefir Site.  I hope that this tutorial has gotten you interested in making kefir.  Enjoy.

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